


Baby Boy

by solostsobroken



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends to Lovers, Bullying, First Time, M/M, Slight Twilight Bashing, slight homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:50:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1472155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solostsobroken/pseuds/solostsobroken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur has called Merlin his "baby boy" ever since they were toddlers. Merlin never really questioned it. It was simply the way things were. But when a new kid named Gwaine arrives and stirs things up, Merlin finally learns that the name has a deeper meaning than he originally thought...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby Boy

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this quite a while ago and posted it over on fanfiction, but I've decided to finally move my stuff over here. This is the first time I've posted on AO3, so if I'm doing anything wrong, PLEASE inform me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!

**Arthur 10 months old, Merlin 1 day old**

Hunith looked down at the tiny, gurgling baby in her arms and smiled softly.

"He's beautiful," her husband said, sitting next to the hospital bed in a wooden chair.

Hunith carefully leaned towards him to place a small kiss on his cheek, being careful as to not jostle her new-born son.

"He is. I wonder how we were able to create a beautiful thing such as him," Hunith said in wonder, delicately rubbing her thumb over the baby's pudgy little cheek.

The baby stared up at her with squinty little eyes. She thought his eyes were the most breathtaking color of blue that she had ever seen. If she looked close enough, she could have swore they had little flecks of gold shimmering in them.

The two fussed over the precious sight in Hunith's arms until the door to their room opened. The pair looked over, only to see Uther, Ygraine and their son Arthur entering. They had big grins on their faces, except for Arthur whom was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms.

Balinor got up from his chair to recieve a handshake and a pat on the back from Uther.

"Congratulations!" Uther said to them both. "We came as soon as we heard."

The two old friends joked with each other as Ygraine occupied the now empty chair that Balinor had been sitting in.

The two woman huddled their heads close together as they stared down at the baby, whom was blinking innocently back up at the two of them.

"He's so cute!" squealed Ygraine. "And those eyes! My goodness, Hunith. You're one lucky woman."

Both of the woman's fussing had frightened the baby, causing it to start crying. Upon hearing the loud wail, Arthur Pendragon groggily opened his eyes and blinked blearily in confusion.

He lifted his head from where it had been resting on his mothers shoulder, and he looked toward the source of the noise. Upon seeing the other little baby, he turned in his mothers arms and reached out his hands.

The two mothers looked at each other and giggled as Ygraine held Arthur closer to Hunith's child.

Arthur blinked at the crying baby before he softly patted his cheek with his chubby little fingers. Feeling the soft touch to his face, the new-born suddenly stopped crying and looked at Arthur's face.

Arthur smiled at the other child before he patted his cheek again, and simply stated, "Baby Boy!"

"Aw," all the adults cooed at once, Balinor and Uther joining the two women.

"That's right, Arthur. He's a baby boy, just like you," Ygraine whispered into her son's ear.

The words made Arthur smile even wider. "My baby Boy!"

The adults chuckled as the two infants were content with just looking at one another.

"I think there will be plenty of playdates in the near future," Hunith said, amazed at how the two children interacted with each other.

Uther nodded his head yes. "So, have you guys decided on a name yet?"

Hunith and Balinor looked at each other for a moment before looking back at their friends.

"We were thinking of the name... Merlin," Hunith replied as she looked lovingly down at her son.

A bright smile broke out on Ygraine's face. "Merlin. I love it! It fits him very well."

"Well in that case," Balinor spoke up with tears of joy shining in his eyes. "Welcome to the family, Merlin."

**Arthur Age 4, Merlin Age 3; Preschool**

Arthur and Merlin were sitting inside of the sandbox in Arthur's backyard, both trying to make a sandcastle like they had seen on tv earlier that day. Merlin angrily threw down his toy shovel and crossed his arms over his chest.

Arthur looked over at him with curiosity.

"What's wrong, Merlin?" the toddler asked his best friend.

A pout formed on Merlin's little pink lips. "My castle looks silly."

Arthur looked between his somewhat standing castle and Merlin's big blob of sand.

He smiled at his friend and gave him a big hug. "Don't worry, baby boy! I can fix it."

With that, Merlin watched Arthur in amazement as he used his own shovel to create a sandcastle that was bigger than his own for Merlin.

Merlin squealed in joy and clapped his hands together.

Arthur felt proud at the way his friend was staring up at him in adoration. He would give anything to see Merlin smile at him like that all the time.

"Hey you two," Ygraine's voice sounded from behind them. The two boys turned around to see both of their mothers approaching them with smiles.

"Mommy!" Merlin squealed before he ran to her and clung to her legs. Hunith laughed as she picked the raven-haired boy up, placing a kiss to one of his large ears.

Athur on the other hand, casually walked over to his own mother, whom picked him up as well with a laugh.

"Are you ready to go home Merlin?" Hunith asked. "You two have your first day of pre-school tomorrow.

A pout formed on Merlin's face once more. "But I don't _wanna_ go to pre-school! There will be scary kids there!"

"Don't worry! I'll protect you, baby boy," Arthur spoke up as he puffed out his chest. The two mothers looked at each other with a knowing smile.

Ever since the first day Merlin was born, Arthur had always referred to him as his "baby boy." The adults all thought it was incredibly cute, and they were thrilled that the young boys had such a special relationship with each other.

"But I wanna play with you instead, Arthur!" Merlin said sadly.

Hunith rubbed Merlin's back. "How about this? If we go home and you take a nice bath, then you and Arthur can play a little more tonight. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah!" Arthur agreed happily, wiggling his way out of his mothers arms and running for the door to his house. "Hurry up and take a bath, Merlin! Then we can play some more!"

Merlin grinned as he followed Arthur's lead, only he ran to his own house next door. The two mothers were left standing alone in silence.

Ygraine smiled brightly at her friend. "Don't worry, Hunith. They'll do great in pre-school. And like Arthur said; He'll protect Merlin."

**Arthur Age 8, Merlin Age 7; Grade 3**

"Help me! Help me!" Merln cried, pretending to be in distress. He jumped up and down on his couch, flailing his arms as he did so.

"I'll save you!" Arthur belowed as he charged into Merlin's living room with a fake sword. He ran over towards the big couch and spotted Merlin's dog Kilgharrah sitting on the floor, watching Merlin make a big scene.

Arthur pretended to slink his way towards the dog, then proceeded to lightly tap it on the rear with his fake sword. The big German Shepherd looked at Arthur with an expression that was not amused in the slightest.

Arthur slightly frowned before he leaned forward and whispered "lay down" in the dogs ear. Kilgharrah let out an annoyed huff before doing as he had been told.

With that settled, Arthur dropped the sword on the ground and walked over to where Merlin was standing on the couch.

"I have slayed the great dragon!" Arthur exclaimed with pride. "Now you are safe, baby boy." Arthur held out his hand, allowing Merlin to grab it and hop down.

"You're my knight in shining armour!" Merlin said, his blue eyes sparkling. He stood on his tippy toes since Arthur was a good few inches taller than him, and placed a kiss to his cheek.

The pair giggled as both of their parents secretly watched them from the other room.

Balinor smiled as he looked at the other three adults. "Looks like there will be a wedding soon in the future."

Uther chuckled as he looked at his wife. "I'm sure our wives already have the whole thing planned out."

The two women smiled innocently, but they couldn't deny it.

"Come now. Surely you can see it. They already love each other," Ygraine replied.

"Sweetheart, they've loved each other since the first day they met," Uther responded.

A silent agreement filled the air, but no more words were spoken as they watched their children innocently play in the next room.

Arthur Age 12, Merlin Age 11; Grade 6

Merlin stared up at the large school in front of him with wide eyes. It was his and Arthur's first day of 6th grade. That meant the pair was moving on up to Jr. High. Merlin didn't think he'd ever felt more afraid than he did at this moment.

He stood frozen on the sidewalk as older kids rushed past him, going all directions. For a moment, he thought he might start crying. He felt the familiar sting behind his eyelids, when all of a sudden a warm hand grabbed his. He quickly turned his head, only to find Arthur standing next to him with a gentle smile.

"You're going to be allright, baby boy," the blonde boy concluded, giving Merlin's hand a small squeeze.

Merlin let out a sigh of relief. "But I don't have a class with you for once."

"I know," Arthur agreed, looking a bit angry about the fact. "But we _do_ have lunch together. And I'll be waiting for you outside your classroom when school, is over, ok?"

Merlin smiled sweetly at Arthur as the blonde boy gave Merlin a kiss on the forehead.

"Ok Arthur." Merlin felt a lot better after his little chat with his best friend. To Merlin's joy, Arthur walked him to his classroom before he went to his own a few hallways down.

"Good morning, class! Please find a seat wherever you like," Merlin's new teacher said cheerfully. The class followed her orders and Merlin found himself to be sitting next to two girls.

One of them had a beautiful dark skin tone with chocolate brown eyes. Her hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders, spilling down to the middle of her back. The other girl, Merlin thought, looked a bit like himself. She had the same creamy white skin and black hair that Merlin owned, except her hair was long and silky, held high in a pony tail on her head. Merlin noticed that the two girls were holding hands.

The pale girl caught him looking at her and sent him a big, white smile. Merlin blushed a little, but he couldn't help but flash her a small smile of his own.

"Hi! My name's Morgana. And this is my best friend Gwen. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you both. My name's Merlin," Merlin answered. Gwen gave him a bashful smile.

Morgana covered her mouth with her free hand and giggled. "Merlin? That's a unique name. I like it!"

Merlin felt himself relax a little. Being around this outgoing girl made some of the tension drain from his body. "Thanks. I like the name's Morgana and Gwen too. I've never met a Morgana. And the only Gwen I know about is that famous singer."

The compliments made the girls beam with pride, making Merlin feel good.

"You're very sweet! Every other boy I know is a complete jerk. My sister Morgause always says to me that boys will only break your heart and take your money, but you're not like that," Morgana explained.

Merlin giggled. "My best friend Arthur isn't like that either. He's a good guy too."

Morgana nodded her head. "To be best friends with you, I believe it. I would like to meet this Arthur guy."

"You can meet him at lunch!" exclaimed Merlin. "We always sit by each other."

The girls grinned. "Well good. That settles that! Now we have a place to sit, don't we Gwen?"

Gwen nodded her head enthusiastically, her curls bouncing all over the place.

"That's great! But don't you guys have other friends to sit with? I mean, you two are very nice. You guys should have loads of other friends."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "There are only certain types of people I get along with. I'm actually a very rude person. I tell everything like it is, whether people want to hear it or not."

"Most people are afraid to talk to her because they think she'll bite their head off," Gwen chimed in.

"Oh?" Merlin questioned, feeling a bit nervous now.

Morgana smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry, Merlin. I like you already. Stick with me and every bully in the school will leave you alone."

Merlin sighed in relief. "Funny. That's what Arthur says too."

Morgana smirked. "I have a feeling I'm going to like this Arthur."

It was that moment that the teacher quieted the whole class so they could start their first lesson for the year. Merlin was surprised at how fast the day went by without Arthur in his class. Before he knew it, it was lunch time.

Morgana grabbed his hand and tugged him and Gwen along confidently to the cafeteria. As soon as they entered the huge room filled with dozens of kids, Merlin let go of Morgana's hand, only to have another warm one slip inside it.

Merlin turned and found Arthur grinning at him. Merlin smiled back before he looked over at his new friends.

"Arthur, this is Morgana, and that's Gwen," Merlin introduced, pointing to both of them. "Girls, this is my best friend Arthur."

Morgana and Arthur looked at each other with a calculating eye before they smiled and nodded at each other.

"Nice to meet you. Merlin has told us both a lot about you," Morgana said, squeezing Gwen's hand.

Arthur looked at Merlin with affection glowing in his eyes. "Yes, well a friend of Merlin's is a friend of mine. Come sit with us at the lunch table! There are a few people I want you guys to meet."

Arthur led them through the crowd to a table where a couple other boys were sitting, along with a girl. Arthur sat down, dragging Merlin down in the seat next to him. Morgana and Gwen daintily sat on the other side of Merlin.

"You guys, this is Percival, Leon, and Leon's sister Freya. This is my best friend Merlin, Morgana and Gwen." Once introductions were made, smiles were swapped and small chatter flowed throughout the table. Merlin thought the whole thing would be a bit awkward, but he was surprised at how easily the table got along. Almost as if they were all meant to meet each other.

Once they all got their food, Arthur turned his full attention to Merlin, blocking out the conversation flowing at the table.

"So, how's your day so far, baby boy?" Arthur asked.

Merlin's eyess flickered over to Morgana and Gwen, who were absorbed in a conversation with the shy girl named Freya.

"It's been good. A lot better than I thought it would be thanks to those two."

Arthur smiled as he swiped a fry from Merlin's lunch tray. "Good. I can tell they're nice girls. Morgana may be a bit rough, but she's a good friend to have. Do you wanna come over to my house after school and play x-box?"

Merlin nodded his head yes, glad that school would be over in a few hours. Even though he and Arthur spent most of their waking hours together, Merlin still felt lonely without his best friend in his class.

"Great! That gives me something to look forward too," Arthur concluded. That said, the two went back to eating their lunches.

At the end of the day, Arthur was waiting for Merlin outside his classroom just like he had promised.

**Arthur Age 14, Merlin Age 13; Grade 8**

Merlin was sprawled out on Arthur's couch, his head resting in Arthur's lap. The blonde was running his finger's through the younger boys hair, making Merlin sigh every once in a while. Merlin's legs were propped up in Morgana's lap, who had a large bowl of popcorn sitting on the other side of her.

Percival and Gwen were sitting on the carpet in front of them, absorbed in the movie they were all watching. Leon and Freya were occupying the love seat, quietly arguing over who was taking up more room on the small piece of furniture.

"Boo!" Morgana growled as she threw a handful of popcorn at the tv.

Percival turned around with a frown on his face. "What do you have against Twilight, Gana?"

Morgana huffed as she pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Well for one, I've seen better acting done by animals. I doubt it's healthy to fidget as much as this Bella chick does. Also, the vampires face looks like the shape of a foot."

Arthur and Merlin chuckled as Percival rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Morgana, you _knew_ we were going to watch this movie. You didn't have to come," Arthur spoke up with a raised eyebrow, moving his fingers from Merlin's hair to trace the plam of his hand instead.

A pout formed on Morgana's ruby red lips. "And miss out on our weekly friend date? I don't think so!"

Arthur felt like laughing at the comment, but he held it back. Ever since they had all met each other the first day of sixth grade, they had all become really good friends. They were constantly hanging out with each other, and when they weren't, they were usually sleeping. Their favorite hangout spot was Arthur's house since it was so big, and that is where they started to have weekly movie nights. They took place every Friday after school. That way, they could all have a giant sleepover. To Arthur's luck, his and Merlin's parent's adored their friends, so they were always welcome to stay the night whenever they wanted to.

Gwen sighed from where she was sitting on the floor and turned around to face everyone. "I can't believe there's only a few weeks of school left."

Merlin nodded his head in agreement. "Same here. Then we'll be off to high school." A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. Arthur, thinking it was because he was cold, pulled him in a sitting position so Merlin was sitting on his lap, his back resting against Arthur's chest.

"That's where all the real fun begins!" Leon blurted, pumping his fists in the air. Freya sent him a look of disgust before rolling her eyes.

"Of all the people in the world that could have ended up as my twin brother, why did it have to be you?" she grumbled.

"I heard that they combine _our_ Jr. high with the other one in the next town over," Percival mused.

Arthur let out a puff of air. "Unfortunately. That mean's there will be twice as many kids there."

Merlin groaned. He hated big crowds enough already. He didn't know what he would do when school started next year.

Arthur pressed a small kiss to the back of Merlin's dark locks. "Don't worry, baby boy. I'll protect you from anyone scary."

Merlin let out a light laugh, making Arthur's heart do a funny jump in his chest.

"I know you will, Arthur. You always do."

At the words "baby boy," the other five friends all secretly smirked at one another. Ever since they had met Merlin and Arthur, Arthur had always called Merlin by that name. They thought it was a bit strange at first, but they never questioned it. After a while, they came to realize that Arthur and Merlin's relationship was much more different from others.

It was small things, really. The way the two would look at each other as if they were the only ones in the room. Or the way Arthur would randomly brush a kiss over Merlin forehead or cheek, even if Merlin realized it or not.

It was also big things, such as the way Arthur always seemed to have to touch Merlin, like he needed the contact to physically relax. Or how they always caught Arthur watching Merlin with a tender warmth swirling in his eyes.

No, they never said anything to Arthur himself, or even Merlin for that matter. They did not want to disturb the special bond between the two with their intrusive questions. Either way, they didn't need to question them about it since it was clear enough in their eyes.

It was love. Simple as that. Whether the two boys knew it themselves or not was a different matter. Their friends just hoped that they would both realize it soon.

Arthur Age 15, Merlin Age 14; Grade 9

Merlin was shoved into a locker, making him groan as he hit his head.

"Well, if it isn't our little pal _Mer_ lin," a smug voice taunted. Merlin turned around quickly, only to see that he was cornered by Valiant and a few of his bulky friends. He helplessly looked down the hallway, hoping that somebody would be walking in his direction. To his dismay, the hallway was empty, and would be for quite some time since class had just started ten minutes ago.

"Aw, what's the matter Emrys? Don't have your boyfriend here to protect you?" the bully sneered, causing his friends to burst out into wicked laghter.

Merlin swallowed hard before raising his chin to try and look like he wasn't afraid.

"What do you want, Valiant?"

An unsettling grin spread across Valiant's face. "Oh, I just thought we might have a little chat with each other. You know, about how faggots like you shouldn't be aloud in schools."

A slightly confused expression settled itself on Merlin's face. He had been called many things since he had started at the high school, some good and some a little insulting. But he had never been called a faggot. In fact, he had never even heard of the word before, but he knew it must be insulting if it came from Valiant's mouth.

For some reason, the kid despised Merlin, and Merlin never understood why that was. He had never done anything to harm or insult the other kid. He didn't understand why people could be so cruel to another person just because they could be. It's not like it would even matter ten years from now when they went their seperate ways.

The only logical explaination as to why Valiant hated him was because of Arthur. Arthur was what you would call a "popular" person around school, and for all the right reasons. Even though he was only in ninth grade, he was the quarterback of the football team due to his very high athletic abilities. He was a smart student, always getting A's on everything. Not only that, but he loved helping fellow students. He was the type to say hello to a random person walking down the hallway, effectively making the other person's day better.

Valiant hated it.

Valiant had been one of the popular kids from the other school that had merged with theirs. He was used to being the top dog. Where Arthur was head of the football team, Valiant had been head of the basketball team. Where Arthur was kind to others, Valiant used his popularity to take advantage of others, being cruel instead of kind. So once the two schools had merged at Camelot High School, Valiant knew that he was no longer top of the food chain. He hated the thought of it, so in retaliation, he tried to screw with Arthur.

After many failed attempts at trying to get under the skin of the golden boy, Valiant had almost given up. That is, until he realised what would _truely_ rile the blonde.

Merlin.

After discovering this, Valiant had started to bully the raven-haired boy, whether it was in front of Arthur or not. Either way, it made him feel better about himself.

"I don't want any trouble. Now if you'll excuse me," Merlin replied, trying to sidestep the boys. Valiant grabbed him by the arm and shoved him once more into the locker.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Valiant chuckled.

Merlin stared at him with wide eyes, wishing more than anything that Arthur would come and save him. Unfortunatly, Arthur had been suspended from school for a week because he punched Valiant in the face for picking on Merlin the week before. It had been scary to watch, but at the same time Merlin felt a warmth spread through his body as he realized just how much his best friend really cared about him.

"You know, there's nobody here to stop me from beating the shit out of you now that your guard dog is gone," Valiant growled, fisting the front of Merlin's thin shirt he was wearing.

A loud chuckle was heard from behind the group, causing them all to turn and look. Merlin's eyes went wide, but he felt a surge of relief flow through his body as he spotted Morgana standing there with a hand on her jutted hip and a cold, malicious expression on her face.

"Oh, Valiant. That's where you've got everything all messed up in that enormous, _ugly_ head of yours," Morgana hissed. Valiant's friends looked a bit uneasy at that point, all knowing about the infamous Morgana. They slowly backed away, leaving Valiant to face the wrath of Morgana himself.

Valiant dumbly stood his ground and tightened the fist that was curled in Merlin's shirt. "And what exactly are you going to do about it, bitch?"

Morgana let out an unnatractive snort. "Well that's easy enough to answer." With that, she kicked Valiant square in the nuts with her high heels, causing the bigger boy to let go of Merlin and clutch his groin in pain. He let out what sounded like a squeak and sank to his knees on the ground.

Without even sparing him a glance, Morgana laced her fingers with Merlin's and pulled him down the hallway, hearing a "fucking faggot" before they rounded the corner.

The whole day through school, Merlin was distracted by thoughts of what had happened back in the hallway. He still didn't understand what Valiant had meant, so he decided to ask Arthur about it when he got home later.

So there he was, sprawled out on Arthur's huge bed right next to said boy. Arthur was entertaining Merlin with a few funny stories he had read on the internet earlier, but he could tell that something was bothering his best friend.

Arthur propped himself up on an elbow so he was looking down at Merlin from above.

Arthur lightly tickled the younger boys side, making Merlin let out one of his giggles that Arthur loved so much.

"What's wrong, baby boy?" Arthur asked gently, exchanging the tickling for lacing their fingers together instead.

Merlin shifted his eyes up to Arthur's with a confused expression.

"What's a faggot?"

Arthur's face hardened at the question. There was no doubt that Merlin was the most innocent person that Arthur had ever met. That's what he loved about him, and if it was up to Arthur, Merlin would be kept far away from the bad things in the world. Truely kind-hearted people were hard to find in today's world, and Merlin just happened to be one of the rare ones. Therefore, Arthur did not want Merlin to be exposed to such harsh words, for they usually caused pain and a hardened heart.

"Where did you hear that from?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Merlin wrinkled his nose slightly. "Valiant told me I was a faggot. Then Morgana kicked him in the nuts."

Arthur would have laughed if he hadn't been so furious. _Nobody_ got away with calling Merlin a faggot. _Nobody._

"Merlin, you musn't listen to what Valiant says. He's rather daft if you hadn't noticed," Athur said, trying to figure out a way around the topic.

Merlin looked at Arthur with trust in his eyes before nodding his head in agreement. He noticed how Arthur had avoided his question. He knew if Arthur didn't tell him what it was right away, then it probably wasn't that important. He decided to drop it.

"I've noticed. But Arthur, you need to stop fighting with him. If you keep getting suspended, then you'll eventually get expelled."

"Merlin-" Arthur started to argue, but Merlin cut him off.

"Promise me you'll stop fighting with him. Please, Arthur."

Arthur gazed into Merlin's blue eyes and sighed. Arthur Pendragon was not a weak man, but somehow he found Merlin to be his weakness time and time again.

Arthur sighed before nodding his head yes. "I promise to stop fighting with the idiot."

Merlin let out a small laugh, a yawn following soon after.

Arthur grinned to himself. He loved it when Merlin was sleepy. It made him look even more adorbale than usual.

"Tired, Merlin?"

The raven-haired boy mumbled something incoherantly before becoming silent. Arthur knew he had fallen asleep, for he had witnessed it many times before.

Carefully, Arthur placed his arm over Merlin's waist in a secure hold. He lowered his head so that his face was inches away from Merlin's own, and his eyes flickered to Merlin's pink lips. Sure, he had kissed Merlin many times. He loved to show his affection for his best friend. But he had always kissed him on the forehead or the cheek with a quick peck. But as Arthur stared at Merlin's soft looking lips, he couldn't help but want to know what they felt like pressed against his own strong ones, or what they would taste like.

Arthur knew he could have just lowered his head the last few inches and nestle Merlin's lips with his own, but he didn't. He didn't want to feel like he had stolen something important from Merlin. Plus, he wasn't sure how Merlin would react to Arthur kissing him on the lips. After all, it was a rather intimate act.

Instead, Arthur held back his urge and he pressed his lips lightly to Merlin's hairline.

He rested his head in the crook of Merlin's neck before he also fell fast asleep with his best friend tucked safely in his arms.

**Arthur Age 17, Merlin Age 16; Grade 11**

Arthur glared across the lunch table at the new kid. Gwaine, his name was. He had come off as a nice, friendly guy at first. That was, until he had started to flirt with Merlin.

Of course Arthur could not blame Gwaine. After all, as Arthur slowly grew up with Merlin, he had gotten the sweet pleasure of watching the once pudgy little boy with big ears tranform into the most gorgeous teenager with the prettiest shade of blue eyes he had ever seen.

Whenever Arthur looked back at old pictures of the two of them playing together as children, he could barely recognise himself or his best friend. The only thing that gave them away was their hair color. Other than that, both of their bodies had finally gone through the wonders of puberty until they emerged in their young adult skins.

Merlin had always been a beautiful boy to Arthur, but ever since they had moved on to high school, Arthur _really_ started to notice all of the changes about Merlin.

For a boy who was a bit chubby as a child, Merlin grew into his body very nicely. His skin was the same flawless, creamy color as it had always been, but he had grown a few feet and gotten very lean. He didn't have a toned body with nice muscles like Arthur had acquired, but that was just fine with Arthur. He more than enjoyed the delicate look Merlin's body held. It made him feel the urge to protect him even more so than usual.

Though Merlin's body was a wonderland in itself, Arthur couldn't deny the beauty of Merlin's face. It had been finely sculpted, almost like a statues. He had let his hair grow out just a bit, making the ends curl over the tips of his ears. It always held a slightly messy look to it, one that made Arthur want to run his fingers through the soft locks over and over again.

Alas, when Arthur thought Merlin would never grow into his big ears from their childhood, he had been proved wrong. They no longer stuck out like a sore thumb, but instead they framed his face nicely, making him look a little elf-like.

Merlin's cheekbones were Arthur's second favorite feature on Merlin's face. They were so prominent that Arthur couldn't help but what to run his nose across them and just _inhale._ Above the cheekbones there rested a cute little nose before moving upwards to his eyes, which were Arthur's _favorite_ part of his face.

Arthur felt like he could drown in the pools of lapis lazuli framed with thick, silky lashes. Arthur thought that it would probably be the best way to die.

While Merlin had been going through changes, Arthur had been going through some of his own. He had grown taller, just like Merlin, though he was still a good few inches taller than the smaller boy. Due to his playing of football the last few years of high school, Arthur had gained some nice abs, making him look very muscular with and without a shirt on.

His hair hadn't changed much. It was still the same golden color he had been born with, just like his eyes stayed the same shade of blue throughout the years. His face had changed a good amount. What once had held the innocent look of a childs had now morphed into handsome features of a person whom was entirely more masculine.

He always had girls from his classes that would walk up to him and ask him out, but he would smile and politely decline, saying that someone else had already won over his heart. Some girls didn't take the news so lightly, but others swooned and told him how romantic it sounded. He would smile back and nod in agreement with them, but he would always feel a small pain in his chest nontheless.

Arthur _knew_ he loved Merlin. He had loved his baby boy ever since he could remember. Merlin was like the sun in his life; If he wasn't there, everything just seemed to be all dark and gloomy. He couldn't imagine being apart from his best friend for more than a few days. So that's why he had started thinking that perhaps they could be _more_ than best friends.

Morgana had always pestered him to ask Merlin out, but he had assured her that it wouldn't be that easy. After all, it was _Merlin._ One couldn't just simply go up to him and ask him out of the blue. Merlin was too special for that.

Arthur had thought about asking him in front of the whole cafeteria at lunch one day, but then another thought occured to him. What if Merlin didn't feel the way he felt? What if by asking Merlin to be more than best friends, it would push Merlin away into the arms of someone else? Someone else like Gwaine's...

Arthur was brought back to the present by hearing his best friend laugh right next to him. He looked over to see a rosy blush staining the apples of Merlin's cheeks, making Arthur clench his jaw. He reached over to Merlin's lunch tray and snatched up his apple before taking a sharp bite, pretending it to be Gwaine's head he was chomping on.

"Arthur!" Merlin scolded, a mock glare on his face. "I was going to eat that you know."

Arthur couldn't help but feel a small spark of triumph in his chest for diverting Merlin's attention back to him.

"Sorry, baby boy. I thought you were done. You can have one at my house later," Arthur replied casually. Merlin rolled his eyes before he took a bite of his sandwhich.

Arthur flickered his eyes over to Gwaine for a brief moment. The brunette had a small frown on his face, but it didn't look like he was unhappy. It looked like he was puzzled more than anything.

Gwaine sat quietly for a few moments, looking back and forth between the blonde and the raven-haired boy. Then a look of understanding came across his face, which now made Arthur feel a bit confused.

Gwaine flashed a big smile at the pair before looking at Arthur.

"Oh, you guys are dating! Well, that's good to know. I myself think that there should be more openely gay couples around-"

"Excuse me, did you say dating?" Merlin interupted, his blue eyes wide.

Gwaine frowned. "Well yeah. I mean, he called you baby boy. That's not usually a name that most people call their friends. Besides, a blind man could even see that he's into you."

Merlin slowly looked at Arthur, who's face was now flushed, and stared at him with a stunned expression.

Arthur sent a hard glare towards Gwaine. "If I were you, I'd mind your own business. You don't know a thing about me, so you don't have the right to be making judgements."

"Arthur," Merlin whispered, placing a steadying hand on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur didn't even think twice before he shrugged it off, missing the hurt look that shown in Merlin's eyes.

Gwaine looked at the blonde and held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, man. I don't want to cause any drama. I was just stating my opinion."

Gwaine's word's just made Arthur's anger grow.

"Opinion?" Arthur questioned in a hard voice. "Sorry to inform you, but your opinion is very wrong. So like I said, you should just mind your own damn business."

By that point, Arthur and Gwaine had both gotten up out of their seats, standing only a few feet apart.

"Arthur, stop it," Merlin reprimanded, stepping in between the two of them. "This isn't like you."

Arthur gave Merlin a dirty look, making Merlin flinch. Sure him and Arthur had gotten into small arguments before, but it had always been about little things. And even then, Arthur had never stared at him with a look that made him feel so... _worthless._

"Merlin, get the fuck out of the way,"Arthur growled at the fair skinned boy, but his eyes were trained on the brunette who now had an amused look on his face.

"So, you're going to kick my arse because I said something that you didn't want to hear?" Gwaine asked with a smirk.

Merlin turned his neck to look at Gwaine behind him.

"You're not helping!" he hissed through clenched teeth, causing Gwaine to roll his eyes.

"Tell me, Arthur," Gwaine said casually, folding his arms across his chest. "What was it that I said to upset you? Hm? Was it the part about you liking him?"

"Gwaine, that's enough," Percival's voice sounded from their right. The tall boy walked over to the three, standing by in case things got out of hand. In all of the years he had known Arthur, he had never seen him get this angry over _anything,_ let alone another person.

Then again, Gwaine was new to the school. He didn't know how things worked. And he most certainly didn't know about the unspoken rule of _not_ bringing up Arthur and Merlin's feelings for one another. The topic that Percival and his friends had avoided bringing up to Merlin and Arthur for the past five years had now all been flung out into the open by a new kid in a matter of a few minutes. Percival had never messed with the sensitive topic because he had wanted his friends to understand their love for each other themselves, but all hopes of that had now just been thrown out the window.

On the other hand, Percival thought it may have been a good thing. Perhaps the two boys would _finally_ sit down and have a long chat about their feelings.

"Arthur, listen to Merlin. It's not like you to pick fights," Percival tried to reason with the blonde.

Arthur looked like he wanted to argue, but he shut his mouth before glaring one last time at Gwaine and walking away. Merlin watched his best friend leave the lunch room with a tense form.

Merlin looked back at Gwaine with sadness in the depths of his eyes. "I'm sorry for the way he just acted. Usually he's a very friendly man."

Gwaine just gave him a soft smile. "It's ok Merlin. It's not your fault. I think I just stepped onto a bit of his territory by accident."

"Accident?" Morgana questioned in a dry tone as she stood next to Percival. She threw Gwaine her best bitch glare. "You knew damn well he was about to explode! You should have just done as he told you."

"Morgana," Merlin pleaded, not wanting another one of his friends to fight with the new guy.

"Merlin, don't flash me those big puppy eyes. They may work on Arthur, but they sure don't work on me."

Gwaine sighed. "No, she's right. I probably should have stopped while I was ahead. Now I've made an enemy on my first day."

"Damn right you should have stopped!" Morgana continued, flailing her arms about as she did so. "If there's one thing you want to know about Arthur, it's that if you mess with Merlin then you're going to have an angry blonde snapping at your heels."

Merlin sent her an appalled look. "Morgana, you make it sound as if I'm some sort of possesion! Either way, Gwaine did nothing wrong. We were just talking with each other."

Morgana let out a huff of breath. "That may be so, but Arthur thought that he was flirting with you. He obviously got jealous. Merlin, do you really not know the effect that you have on Arthur?"

"Morgana," Percival warned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Morgana shrugged it off and looked at him. "Percival, it's rather exhausting watching them play this game with each other. Don't you think it's about time they confront what they're feeling instead if burrying it behind false pretenses?"

Percival opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but closed it after a few seconds, thinking that Morgana was more than right.

Morgana turned her gaze back onto Merlin, but instead of the fierce look she usually wore, her face had morphed into the caring friend Merlin knew her to be underneath the cold demeanor.

"Merlin," she spoke in a gentle tone, almost as if she did not want to frighten him. "Arthur's your best friend. We all know it. You guys spend almost every waking moment together." Morgana paused, trying to decide how to go about getting the right words out of her mouth. "Best friends love each other, and that's no lie. But once in a while, those two best friends feel more than friendly love for one another. They realize that they're actually _in_ love with each other. And that's perfectly fine, because nobody would expect otherwise-"

"Morgana, you're getting off track," Percival whispered, nudging her in the side with his elbow.

"Right, right," Morgana mumbled. "Merlin, what I'm trying to say is that you and Arthur love each other. You know, _more_ than best friends. And honestly, our friends are tired of watching you two dance around each other all the time. We just want to see you both happy. I know that you guys _are_ happy Merlin, but you don't understand just how much it eats away at Arthur knowing that he can't fully have you."

Merlin was looking at her with an unreadable expression, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip.

"Why did he never tell me?" he asked in a soft voice.

Morgana gave him a sad look. "And risk your guys' lifelong friendship over what he feels for you? Merlin, you've got to know that he's wanted to tell you for _years._ He just didn't want you to reject him and have your friendship break apart. You're too important to him to just admitt how he feels. He'd rather suffer in silence than risk ending the strong bond between you two."

Morgana saw pain flash behind Merlin's eyes.

"I never wanted to hurt him," whispered Merlin, feeling the prickle of tears behind his eyes. He swallowed thickly and forced himself not to cry. "I, I never... I didn't..."

Morgana pulled him onto a tight hug.

"I know you never meant to hurt him," she whispered in his ear. "I understand that you didn't know about his feelings. I mean, let's face it, Merlin. You're one of the most oblivious people I know."

That earned her a small chuckle from the boy as she pulled back to look at his face.

"That being said, you're also the most _innocent_ person that I know, and that's one of the qualities that Arthur loves about you. But now that you _do_ know, perhaps you could maybe show Arthur that you're not as innocent as you seem."

A blush formed on Merlin's cheeks, making Percival bark out a laugh.

"For heavens sake, Merlin," the other boy jumped in. "She doesn't mean you have to get down and dirty right away. I mean, unless you want to. I assure you that Arthur would have no rejections."

Morgana held back a snort of laughter, knowing very well that Arthur wouldn't reject Merlin in the slightest.

"No, Merlin. What I meant was that you should tell him how you feel. He was always too afraid to tell you how _he_ felt. So the decision now lies in your hands," Morgana finished, hoping beyond hope that Merlin would tell him. She wanted nothing more than to see her friends happy. Not to mention, the pair would make a really cute couple.

The school bell rang, signaling that juniors and seniors could leave for the remainder of the day. Morgana watched as Merlin stood still for a few moments, almost able to see the wheels turning in his mind. Merlin turned a bit paler than usual before he turned around and traveled at a slow jog towards the doorway, going to hunt down Arthur.

A warm smile appeared on Morgana's face as she watched Merlin's thin frame exit the cafeteria. Percival placed a hand on her arm, causing them to connect eyes.

"Do you think he'll tell him?" Percival questioned, looking as hopeful as Morgana.

Morgana patted the hand resting on her arm. "I know he will."

**XOXOXOXO**

Merlin couldn't find Arthur anywhere in school, which meant he had already left and gone home. Merlin felt a bit hurt by the action. He and Arthur had walked home every day since they started middle school, but he understood why Arthur did what he did.

After leaving school grounds, Merlin ran inside his house and threw his school bag onto his couch. He knew his mother would not appreciate him leaving his things sitting about in various places, but lucky for him, his and Arthur's parents were at a funeral four hours away and would not be getting back until early the next morning.

Shutting the door firmly behind him on his way out, he bounded down his front steps and ran next door to Arthur's house. He stopped in front of the big white door, almost feeling as if he should knock first before entering. He frowned a little to himself, thinking he was being dumb. He had never once knocked first before, so he wasn't going to start now, know matter how pissed Arthur was at the moment.

He slowly slipped through the door and closed it carefully behind him. He took a few calming breaths before his feet started carrying him upstairs to Arthur's room. Arthur's door was open, giving Merlin the view of Arthur on his bed lying on his back with his arms crossed over his chest. He still looked as angry as before, making Merlin not want to make his presence known, but he swallowed his fear and slowly walked into the room until he stood a few feet away from the bed.

"Arthur," he said in a quivering voice. The blonde jolted a little at the sudden noise, for his eyes had been closed and he had not noticed that Merlin had joined him.

Arthur sat up so he was no longer lying on his back. He scooted to the edge of his bed so his feet were touching the floor, but his back was up straight and he was looking at Merlin.

"Merlin," he responded in harsher tone than he intended to use. When he saw Merlin flinch at his tone of voice, he immidiately felt guilty. He stood up from his bed and walked over to his best friend until they were only a few feet apart. He softened his facial expression, but it didn't matter since Merlin was now staring at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Fuck. Merlin, I'm sorry," the blonde apologized, being sincere. "I'm sorry for talking to you like that, and I'm also sorry for earlier. You're my best friend, and I should have listened when you told me to stop. I promise you that I'll apologize to Gwaine tomorrow at school."

Arthur paused, waiting for Merlin to say something. _Anything._ The silences between them had always been nice before. It was a time where they knew they could just relax with each other and not have the need to talk. But this time, the silence made Arthur feel like an arse. Every second of silence that ticked by made Arthur feel more and more like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. When Merlin finally did lift his face to meet Arthur's gaze, Arthur felt his heart freeze for a moment.

Merlin's deep blue eyes were swimming with unshed tears. As he blinked, some of the droplets clung to his long lashes as a few others made their way down his pale cheeks.

Alarmed, Arthur stepped closer to Merlin so he could wipe away the tears with the tips of his fingers.

"Baby boy, what's wrong?" Arthur asked with great concern.

Merlin just stared at him for a few moments before thinking, _It's now or never._

"I hurt you," he stated in a hollow voice.

Arthur gave him a funny look. "Merlin, you did nothing wrong. I was the one who was being an ass-"

Merlin ignored his protests and interupted him. "I _hurt_ you," he repeated with a bit more force, but still sounding gentle. "I'm so _sorry,_ Arthur. Gods, if I would have known, I wouldn't have waited so long to tell you this."

"Merlin, I don't understand-" Arthur started to say, but was cut off once again. However, this time it wasn't by Merlin's words. It was by Merlin's _lips._

Merlin lightly placed his hands on Arthur's cheeks and stood up on his tippy-toes, effectively allowing his lips to nudge against Arthur's.

The kiss really wasn't much. Merlin had been so nervous that he had more or less kissed the corner of Arthur's mouth instead of landing square on his lips.

He pulled away a few inches to look up at Arthur's handsome face, a small blush heating his pale cheeks.

"Sorry, that was-"

This time it was Merlin who was cut off by Arthur.

Arthur smiled down at Merlin with love in his eyes as he circled an arm around his waist to bring him flush against his chest. His other hand crept upwards and gently threaded itself through Merlin's silky black hair.

"Don't you even _think_ about apologising for that," Arthur murmured, sending a small shiver down Merlin's back. Arthur used the hand in Merlin's hair to tilt his head back a little and to the side, giving him the perfect angle. He then ducked his head and placed his lips firmly upon the smaller boy's, giving them both the _real_ kiss they had wanted for years.

Their lips fit together just like two puzzle pieces, as if they had been meant to fit together all along. Merlin's breath caught in his throat as his eyelids fluttered closed, wanting to just _feel_ Arthur's warm, rough lips against his own soft ones.

Arthur's tongue eventually coaxed Merlin's lips apart, almost shyly brushing his tongue against Merlin's.

Merlin let out a small moan at the contact, releasing his hold on Arthur's cheeks in favor of twining his arms around the blonde's neck instead.

Hearing the beautiful moan come from Merlin's mouth, Arthur found himself wanting to hear more of them, to be the one who was the cause of them. Arthur tightened the arm around Merlin's waist as he simultaniously found the courage to explore Merlin's mouth some more, tracing every delicate tooth and crevice he came into contact with.

Their kisses quickly turned from being innocent, small pecks to enthusiastic passion, their teeth clinking together occasionally as their hands roamed each others bodies as if they would never be able to get enough. Their breathing was hard and rugged, sometimes coming out in gasps as they tried to swallow down air around each other's tongues.

Arthur could feel Merlin getting weaker due to the lack of oxygen, so he spun them around and slowly walked Merlin to his bed without breaking the contact of their lips. The two fell into a heap in the middle of Arthur's mattress, Arthur's strong body covering the frail one underneath his.

He finally put an end to their make-out session, pulling his face back only a few inches so that he could look into Merlin's face. Merlin's chest was heaving, trying to pull in as much air as he could, but one of his happy smiles showed on his face nonetheless.

Arthur smiled his charming smile right back before he closed the gap between them once more to place a small peck on Merlin's open lips. Merlin continued to catch his breath while Arthur placed a soft kiss to his forehead, then his eyelids, then his prominant cheekbones before peppering a trail of kisses down the side of his jaw. Once Arthur reached the expanse of pale, perfect flesh that was Merlin's neck, he burried his nose in the skin before he inhaled Merlin's scent, like he had wanted to do for so many years.

Merlin's scent was mouthwatering. It was a combination between the faint smell of flowers on a breezy summer day and the citrisy scent of Merlin's soap that he used. The two scents combined perfectly to create a smell that was purely _Merlin._ Arthur knew he could have sat there for the rest of his life inhaling Merlin's wonderful scent.

Arthur stuck out his tongue and licked a path down Merlin's neck, making the younger boy let out another one of his moans. When he got to the hollow of Merlin's throat, he kissed and licked and sucked on it, making Merlin throw his head back to increase contact.

On the way back up Merlin's neck, he smirked to himself as he tenderly brushed the most sensitive spot on Merlin's throat with the pad of his thumb, causing the pale boy to shiver in delight. He quickly replaced his thumb with his lips once more, but instead of simply just kissing the soft spot, he placed his lips upon the delicate flesh and _sucked._

Merlin made a breathy noise in Arthur's ear as his small hands fisted the back of Arthur's shirt. Spurred on by the noise, Arthur stopped the sucking action, and in exchange he nibbled on the sensitive flesh with his teeth, soothing it every so often only to repeat the process a few more times.

Once he pulled away, a satisfied grin settled on his face as he looked at the mark he had just made. It was bright red, sticking out vibrantly against Merlin's pale flesh. Arthur knew that by morning, it would be a dark purple, making sure than anybody who laid their eyes on Merlin would know that the beautiful young man was already taken.

Arthur shifted slightly so that he was once again staring into Merlin's blue eyes. He gave him a gentle smile as he stroked Merlin's cheek with his thumb.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that," Arthur murmured, a serious look on his face. Merlin let out a small breath of relief.

"I think I do," Merlin replied, guiding Arthur's mouth back to his for another quick kiss. "Because I've wanted to do that for just as long, Arthur. Maybe even longer."

Arthur let out a laugh. "I doubt that. Ever since we were little I always fantasized about kissing you like I just did. I just never really acted upon it because I didn't want to upset you."

Merlin rose an eyebrow. "Why would you upset me?"

"Because I never knew if you liked me back. I didn't want to scare you by putting moves on you. Hell, I wasn't even sure if you liked boys or not. I mean, for all I know you could have been head over heels in love with Morgana."

A expression of horror swept over Merlin's face, making Arthur throw his head back and laugh.

"Ok, maybe not Morgana," Arthur corrected. "But perhaps some other pretty girl in school."

Merlin made a face. "Arthur, I love our female friends and all, but being in love with a woman is probably the most disturbing thing I've ever heard you say. I mean, you know blood comes out of their-"

Arthur shut him up with a hard kiss so he didn't have to listen to the slightly gross facts of life.

Taking the hint, Merlin rolled his eyes and continued with what he was going to say before.

"Arthur, the way I feel whenever I'm with you is different from the way I feel with others. It's... it's a good feeling. Like everything is just _right_ with the world. I've _never_ felt like that with anybody else my whole life."

Arthur gave him a cocky smirk, which Merlin found to be really sexy, causing his heartrate to pick up.

"Why, Merlin. If I didn't know any better, I would think you were in love with me!" Arthur joked.

Merlin searched Arthur's gaze, looking for any sign of being rejected for what he was about to say.

"Well, prat. That's because I _am_ in... love with... you." Merlin cleared his throat as another blush crept onto his cheeks.

Upon hearing the delicate words, Arthur smiled widely. Merlin loved him. The boy had just said so himself. This was definitely the best day of Arthur's life.

"And I'm in love with you," Arthur sighed, a heavy weight being lifted from his shoulders as he finally told Merlin how he _truely_ felt for him. "I've loved you since we were kids, Merlin. And even if this wouldn't have happened- which I'm _extremely_ greatful that it did- I would still love you until the day I die, even if you dated hundreds of other men."

Merlin silently cursed himself as his eyes welled with tears once more.

He gave a sad smile to Arthur as a lone tear ran down his cheek. Arthur quickly brushed it away with the soft touch of his lips.

"Baby boy, don't cry," Arthur pleaded. Seeing Merlin cry was always the worst thing Arthur could ever witness. Merlin was such a sweet, caring boy. He loved helping others and was a genuinely happy person. He didn't deserve to ever be sad.

Merlin sniffed, but sent him a reasurring smile. "Sorry. I'm just too damn sensitive when it comes to mushy stuff."

Arthur shook his head. "Never apologize for that, Merlin. I love how sensitive you are. It makes you special."

Merlin smiled up at him as he felt his eyes droop a little. Arthur chuckled as he ran a hand through Merlin's hair.

"You're tired," he pointed out.

Merlin nodded before yawning. "All of this honesty has really taken it's toll on me."

Arthur laughed as he rolled off of Merlin and onto his side. He curled an arm around his waist and pulled Merlin up against his chest. The younger boy took the opportunity to snuggle against Arthur's body, his head fitting just _right_ in the crook of Arthur's neck.

"Sleep then," Arthur murmured into Merlin's soft hair. "It's only a bit after four. When we wake up, I'll make us something to eat."

Merlin smiled lazily against the skin of Arthur's neck, feeling a bit dizzy at the pure masculine scent drifting off of it.

"M'kay," he mumbled before closing his eyes and drifting into the land of slumber in his best friends arms.

Arthur placed a soft kiss to the crown of Merlin's head as he felt Merlin's breathing even out, signifying he had already fallen fast asleep.

With a smile on his face, Arthur followed quickly behind him.

**XOXOXOXO**

**A few hours later**

Merlin groggily woke up to urgent kisses being pressed to his neck. He blinked blearily before Arthur's face came into focus. Merlin sent him a sleepy smile as he slowly sat up, Arthur sitting up with him. A loud growl sounded from Merlin's stomach, causing him to blush.

Arthur laughed as he looked down at the blushing boy.

"Are you a bit hungry?" Arthur teased. Merlin rolled his eyes and playfully nudged Arthur's shoulder.

"Just a little."

Arthur nodded before hauling himself up from the warm bed, pulling Merlin up with him.

"Me too. My mum bought your favorite pizza at the store the other day. You want me to make that?"

Merlin smiled fondly. He loved Arthur's mother and father just as he loved his own. He wasn't just raised by two parents growing up, but four of them. Their parents may have only been very good friends, but they were more like one big family to Merlin.

"That sounds lovely. Just don't burn it again like you did the last time," Merlin snickered.

Arthur laughed as they entered the kitchen and got to work on making their food. This time, to Merlin's relief, Arthur _hadn't_ burnt the pizza. The two ate their food at Arthur's table while they chatted about friends from school. Once they had finished and washed their dishes, the two of them sat down to watch a movie.

They had only watched about ten minutes of it before Merlin was sprawled out on the couch with Arthur's warm body on top of him, assaulting his lips and neck with agressive kisses. The pair continued to make out for a while, gasps and little moans of pleasure filling the air. However, Merlin abruptly froze, one hand locked in Arthur's hair and the other clutching the back of his neck, when he felt something hard against his lower belly.

Arthur stopped kissing Merlin and pulled back a few inches to look into his blue eyes.

"Er, sorry," Arthur apologized, hoping he hadn't frightened the boy. "We can stop if you want. I don't want to make you feel like we need to do anything more than this. We can take this as slow as you want to, Merlin."

As Merlin stared into Arthur's eyes, he could tell Arthur was being sincere. He knew Arthur would never force him to do anything he didn't want to. He was always the gentleman, so he would wait until Merlin was ready to go any furthur.

Arthur's chivalrous thoughts made Merlin feel incredibly horny.

Merlin slowly shook his head no, making Arthur raise an eyebrow. Before Arthur could question him, Merlin slowly rubbed his aching groin against Arthur's leg, letting the older boy know that he wanted him just as badly.

Merlin captured Arthur's lips in a passionate kiss before moving his lips so they were next to Arthur's ear.

"I want you to fuck me," he whispered, feeling a shiver run through Arthur's body.

Arthur pulled back and smiled tenderly. "Merlin, I don't want to fuck you. I want to make love to you."

The two held each others gaze for a while before they burst out into laughter.

"Arthur, you do realize how horribly cliche that sounded, right?"

Arthur nodded his head yes before sobering up again. "I know, but it's the truth."

Merlin smiled shyly, his eyes sparkling underneath his lashes.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Merlin whispered before crashing their lips together once more. Withoug breaking the heavenly contact, Arthur stood and lifted Merlin into his arms bridal style. Merlin securly wrapped his arms around the blondes neck as he was carried to Arthur's bedroom.

Once inside the room, Arthur kicked the door shut with his foot before setting Merlin down gently in the middle of his bed. Arthur crawled on top of Merlin's small form, his hands pushing Merlin's shirt upwards, revealing the delicious expanse of soft, creamy skin and two pink rosebud nipples. He quickly pulled the shirt over Merlin's head and flung it onto the floor before doing the same exact thing with his own shirt.

His hands delicately traced Merlin's torso from his waistline up to his hardened nipples. He flicked his thumb over the tips of them, causing Merlin to gasp and arch into the contact. Arthur grinned before leaning down to take one of them into his mouth, biting down gently before soothing it once more with tongue. He gave the other nipple the same treatment before placing a trail of wet open mouthed kisses down his belly, dipping the tip of his tongue into Merlin's bellybutton. The sensation made the raven-haired boy giggle.

How Arthur loved those giggles. They were light and happy, making Arthur always want to create more and more of them. Sometimes he would tickle Merlin on his sides just so he could hear the laughter bubble out from between the luscious lips.

Arthur stopped once he got to the begining of Merlin's pants. He looked up at Merlin whom was looking back with love and trust in his eyes. Merlin gave a small nod of his head, telling Arthur it was ok.

Arthur didn't need to be told twice. He popped the button of Merlin's jeans open before slowly unzipping the fly. With slightly shaky hands, he hooked his thumbs into the belt-loops and tugged the pants and blue boxers down to Merlin's ankles before throwing them onto the floor with their shirts.

Merlin let out a hiss as the fabric rubbed against his hard length, but he was relieved when it was finally freed from the restraints. Then a blush formed on his cheek as he realized that he was _completely_ naked. In front of _Arthur._

Arthur just sat back and stared at the beautiful sight before him. Every inch of Merlin's body was just as fragile and delicate looking as the next, all of his skin the same beautiful cream color. When Arthur's eyes landed upon Merlin's erection, he felt himself grow ever more hard than he thought was possible.

Merlin was smaller than Arthur was by at least a few inches, but Arthur didn't care. In fact, it made his mouth water just looking at the straining, light pink flesh that was leaking a bit of pre-cum.

When he looked at Merlin, he could tell the boy was embarrassed. Arthur slightly frowed.

"Merlin, don't be embarrassed. Every inch of you is beautiful." As if to prove his point, he leaned in and pressed a light kiss to the tip of Merlin's penis.

A groan sounded from Merlin, making Arthur smirk as he nudged his length softly with his nose before licking a path from the base to tip. Arthur was definitely not an expert on blow jobs, but he had looked up plenty of videos on how to give them. But as he looked at the lust in Merlin's eyes, he decided that could wait for another day. Right now, he just wanted to be inside of his... best friend? Boyfriend? He would have to question Merlin about it later.

Arthur quickly shed off his own pants and boxers before leaning over to his bedside drawer, grabbing a tube of lube.

"Shit," he swore as he realized that he didn't own any condoms.

Merlin, who had been ogling Arthur's rather _large_ manhood with no shame, looked at Arthur.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Arthur sighed. "I don't have any condoms. I never really had the need for them before."

Merlin licked his lips. "Who says we need one?"

Arthur's eyes went wide. "You mean... you actually _want_ to do it without one?"

Merlin shyly nodded his head yes. "I want to feel _you,_ Arthur. Not plastic."

Arthur grinned. "And here I thought you were a goody two-shoes, Merlin. What would your mother say if she knew you were having unsafe sex?"

Merlin sent him a small glare, which just made Arthur laugh since the look made Merlin look like an angry puppy.

"We don't exactly need to go around announcing it to her. Otherwise I'm sure she would hunt you down knowing it was _you_ I was doing it with."

The smile fell from Arthur's lips. "Good point."

He carefully spread Merlin's legs apart, feeling the tension in his thighs. He crawled between them until he was face to face with Merlin once more. He pressed deep kisses to Merlin's lips, trying to get him to relax. When he pulled away he grabbed a few of his other pillows and put them underneath Merlin's head and back, the extra cusioning making Merlin lay back at a comfortable angle.

Arthur sat back and looked at Merlin with a serious face. "Are you _sure_ that you want to do this, baby?"

"Yes, Arthur," Merlin replied with a small smile. "Just... go slow."

Arthur nodded before he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He ran the tips of his fingers down Merlin's belly, brushing past Merlin's straining length. He gently cupped his balls before rolling them in his hands, making Merlin whimper.

Arthur hooked his hands underneath Merlin's knees and pulled them up so that they were bent and spread open, leaving Merlin's most intimate area exposed for Arthur to see.

Arthur licked his lips as he watched the little puckered hole flutter at the cool air touching it. Arthur had the strongest urge to lean forward and run his tongue over it. He knew it would taste just as delicious as it looked, but once again, it was something he would save for later.

He kneeled between the spread legs as he coated his fingers with a generous amount of lube. Once that was taken care of, he hovered over Merlin's body so that his face was above his lover's. He placed a kiss to his forehead before his brought his lips backs to Merlin's, simultaniously circling Merlin's pretty pink hole with one finger.

"Baby, you've got to relax," Arthur mumrmured, feeling the tension in Merlin's bottom due to the feel of resistance at Merlin's entrance.

"I'm trying, Arthur," Merlin replied, taking a few calming breaths while kisses were splashed over his throat.

Arthur could feel a bit of the tension leave the smaller boys body, allowing him to gently rub his finger over the opening of the hole. Arthur heard Merlin groan at the contact, making him carefully slip one finger inside of the tight heat. He bit his bottom lip as he concentrated on sliding the finger back and fourth, in and out, curling it occasionally and feeling for Merlin's sweet spot.

He carefully removed the first finger before he slowly pushed back in with two of them, making Merlin let out a small yelp of pain.

"Shit, does it hurt? Do you want me to-"

"Keep going, Arthur," Merlin interrupted, his teeth biting his lower lip. "It just stings a little, that's all."

Arthur nodded, then went back to concentrating. Once he had the two fingers in up to the knuckle, he curled them once more. He felt a small bump on the inside, so he brushed over it with both fingers.

Merlin gave a loud gasp, arching his back as he stared into Arthur's eyes. Arthur grinned, knowing he had found Merlin's special spot.

"A-Arthur," Merlin panted. "D-do that again."

"Hold on," Arthur replied lightly as he withdrew the two fingers, making Merlin whimper in disapointment at the loss. However, when he slowly eased three fingers back into the hot passage, Merlin sighed in contentment, pushing his hips down onto Arthur's fingers to feel the erotic feeling he had felt before.

Not wanting to keep Merlin waiting, Arthur immediately went for his sweet spot, mercilessly scrubbing his fingers over the spot again and again. Merlin gripped the bedsheets tightly in both of his hands, his head thrown back at the intense feelings coursing through his body.

Arthur loved the sounds spilling from Merlin's mouth. They varied from breathy sighs and high pitched moans to occasional deep grunts and random words being babbled.

Arthur gritted his teeth at the throbbing of his incredibly hard dick. He liked being able to pleasure Merlin the way he was, but he needed to be inside of Merlin _now._

He pulled his fingers out quickly, looking in wonder at Merlin's now gaping hole, clenching and unclenching, wanting to grip him once more in the tight heat.

"Please, Arthur," Merlin moaned breathlessly as Arthur slathered his cock in a decent amount of lube. "I want you."

"I know, baby. Hold on for just a few more seconds," Arthur replied as he spread some extra lube around Merlin's entrance. "I'm a bit bigger than three fingers. I don't wanna hurt you."

Once that was done, Arthur aligned himself with Merlin's entrance. Merlin curled his fingers around Arthur's strong biceps as he tried to prepare himself for how much it would hurt.

Slowly, Arthur pushed in a little at a time. The breath caught in Merlin's throat as he felt the burning stretch of Arthur's huge cock sliding in.

Arthur stopped about halfway in, slamming his eyes shut and concentrating on not coming instantly as the tight heat encircled his aching cock. When he felt like he could continue without ending early, he pushed all the way in on one thrust, causing a deep moan to rumble from his chest.

When he finally opened his eyes, Merlin's face was only inches apart from his own, and his eyes were squeezed shut more or less in pain.

Arthur didn't pull back and thrust in again, even though he wanted to very badly. He just held still and waited for Merlin to adjust to his thick length.

He closed the gap between their faces and started to kiss him, sliding his tongue between Merlin's lips in hopes to distract him from the discomfort. The hand that wasn't supporting his weight snuck down and grabbed Merlin's member. He felt bad since Merlin wasn't as hard as he had been before. He guessed that the initial penetration had caused him to get softer.

Arthur silently vowed to himself that he would make sure Merlin had a good time, and with that, he started to slowly pump Merlin's length. He rubbed the sensitive tip of it with his thumb, causing Merlin's body to jerk a little.

Merlin moaned into Arthur's mouth, causing the blonde to pump a bit faster until Merlin was fully hard once more.

Merlin broke away from Arthur's lips before breathlessly saying, "Please move, Arthur."

Arthur clenched his teeth and slowly pulled back until just the tip of his penis was inside Merlin. Then he pushed in again once more, feeling sparks of pleasure shoot up his spine at the warm, delicious friction. He repeated the action once more before Merlin's body arched up, making their chests touch.

"There we go," Arthur muttered, knowing he had once again found Merlin's happy button. With restored confidence, he set a slow pace of thrusting, making Merlin whisper his name breathlessly.

Merlin could feel a tingly, warm build of pressure in lower belly, causing him to wrap his legs around Arthur's waist, trying to pull the blonde in as far as he could go.

"Faster Arthur," he whimpered.

Arthur shot him a smile before doing exactly as he had been instructed. If he had thought going slow felt good, it was nothing compared to how perfect it felt slamming into Merlin over and over again with no restraint.

As he looked down at Merlin, his lust intensified even more. Merlin's bangs were matted to his forehead with sweat, while the rest of his hair was sticking up in all directions. His kiss-swollen, pink lips were partially opened, filthy noises and random words tumbling out every other second. His eyes were heavily lidded as if they were having trouble staying opened, but due to Merlin's lust blown look, the gold flecks in his eyes seemed to shimmer and dance in the light of Arthur's bedroom.

"Ah...ah...ahhh... Arthur," Merlin cried out, sounding choppy due to Arthur's furious thrusts. "I, I won't... ugn! Won't last m-much longer, Ah!"

That's all Arthur needed to hear. He reached down between them and grabbed Merlin's rock hard length and started to pump it in time with his thrusts. He crashed his lips down onto Merlin's, exchanging hard, sloppy kisses with a bit too much teeth.

The sensation of having Arthur's big, rough hand on his cock as well as the feeling of Arthur's dick rubbing his prostate with each thrust made Merlin's pleasure turn sharp with intensity. His toes curled as he came hard calling Arthur's name, some of his cum escaping the tight grip of his lovers hand and splattering onto his chest.

The combination of watching Merlin's face contort in ecstasy and the feeling of Merlin's anal walls clamping down like a vice on his dick made Arthur know that he had reached his own peak. As Merlin's body started to still beneath him, Arthur thrust into the tightness twice more before he came, Merlin's name tumbled from his lips along with, "I love you!"

Once his cock had been milked for all it was worth, Arthur slumped down on top of Merlin's small body. He didn't want to crush Merlin with his weight, but he didn't have the strength to move any of his limbs. Instead, the two just laid there in their sweat and semen, chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath.

Even though both of their limbs felt like jelly, it was Merlin who found some of his strength first. He turned his head slightly to press a small kiss to Arthur's throat, which the blonde returned his affection by placing one on the top of Merlin's sweaty forehead.

Finally realizing that his bones were working again, Arthur pushed himself up a little so he wasn't crushing his best friend. He then proceeded to carefully pull out of Merlin, causing the small boy to wince as he did so.

Arthur gathered Merlin into his arms before settling them comfortable against the pillows. The two sat in silence for a few moments, Arthur stroking Merlin's hair while Merlin shivered at the feeling of Arthur's fluids leaking out of his hole and onto the sheets below his bottom.

"That was..." Merlin started to say in a low voice, breaking the silence.

"Fucking fantastic," Arthur finished, causing them both to laugh. The smile faded from Arthur's lips as he raised Merlin's chin with his fingers so he could look into his eyes. "You don't regret it, do you?"

For the first time in his life, Merlin saw a glimmer of fear in Arthur's handsome face.

Merlin firmly shook his head no before cupping Arthur's face in his hands.

"Arthur Pendragon," Merlin growled. "I never want to hear you ask that again. I love you, you big oaf. I would _never_ regret doing something so special with you."

Arthur stole a quick kiss from his lips before replying.

"Well that's good to know. Uh, I realize we did this whole thing backwards, but would you say yes if I asked you to be my boyfriend?"

Merlin giggled before playfully poking Arthur in the chest. "I thought you would never ask."

The two playfully rolled around on the bed for a while, kissing and caressing each other. Arthur was in the middle of sucking another hickey onto Merlin's now _very_ colorful neck when Merlin weakly pushed at his chest. He stopped immediately and looked down in confusion.

Merlin had a small smirk on his lips. "You know, Gwaine actually brought up an interesting point earlier."

Arthur rose an eyebrow."And that would be...?"

"Why _do_ you call me baby boy?" Merlin questioned with curiosity. "I mean, you've called me that since we were little. I guess I never really assumed there was a reason behind it, but after what he said, I can't help but ask."

Arthur grinned wolfishly. "Why, yes. There is a reason." Arthur slowly trailed his hand down Merlin's belly, grabbing Merlin's slowly hardening cock. He began to pump it at much too slow of a pace for the raven-haired boy's liking, causing Merlin to weakly hump upwards into Arthur's hand.

Merlin bit back a moan, his breath hitching. "And that reason is?"

Arthur crawled on top of him once more, aligning his once again hard cock up to Merlin's needy hole.

"Because you're _my_ baby boy," he grunted, leaving it at that as he made love to Merlin for the second time that night.

**XOXOXOXO**

**The next morning**

Ygraine and Hunith looked at Arthur's closed door before sending each other a hopeful look. They had both gotten calls from the high school earlier as they made their way back home from the funeral with their husbands. The principle had informed them that neither of their boys had shown up for class that day, which worried both of the women. It wasn't like Merlin and Arthur to skip school, and they were both sure that they were perfectly healthy the day before when they had left. They shouldn't have gotten sick in that small of a time frame.

Once they arrived back at their homes, the mothers both looked in Hunith's house first. They started to panic a little when they found nobody. So they then trudged over to Ygraine's house, where they found the tv playing and some clean dishes sitting on the counter. They knew that they had to be somewhere inside the house, so with that they marched through the house to Arthur's door, bringing them to the current situation they were in now.

"Should we go in?" Hunith asked.

Ygraine thought about it for a moment before whispering, "Hold on." She carefully put her ear up to the door to see if she could hear anything, but it was silent on the other side.

The two mothers looked at each other before Ygraine grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it, pushing the door aside quietly. Both women's eyes went wide at what they saw.

Arthur was lying on his side, the blankets pooled around his knees, exposing his bare bottom to both women. Merlin was tucked safely underneath Arthur's arm, snuggled warmly against his chest. Due to Arthur's front pressed against his own, Merlin's private parts were hidden from prying eyes. The two were sleeping so peacefully and looked so cute tucked up against one another that the women did not want to wake them.

Hunith and Ygraine just stared at them for a few moments in shock.

"Best friends my arse," Ygraine muttered, causing Hunith to snicker.

"It's about bloody time," Hunith sighed, Ygraine nodding her head in agreement.

Then huge grins broke out on both of their faces.

"Well Hunith," Ygraine said clutching her best friends hand. "I always said how wonderful it would be if we were related. Looks like it's actually going to happen now!"

Hunith agreed with joy in her eyes. She knew that this day would come eventually, since she knew that the boys both loved each other. She was just surprised that it had taken them this long to realize it.

"I think we should embarrass them," Ygraine whispered gleefully.

Hunith chuckled. "Oh, trust me. We'll have plenty of time for that. I think it'd be best if we just made them get to school before it gets any later."

Ygraine nodded in agreement. The pair made their way over to the bed without making any noise, and they carefully sat down on the edge.

Ygraine cleared her throat before gently nudging Arthur's exposed thigh. The blonde responded by mumbling something incomprehensible before burrying his nose into Merlin's hair.

"Arthur," Ygraine spoke as she she shook him harder. "You need to wake up, sweetheart."

Arthur finally heard her since he slowly started to move, blinking blearily as he looked at Merlin's still sleeping form, thinking he was the source of noise.

"Arthur," Ygraine said once more, causing Arthur to jump as his eyes flew wide open. His head snapped over to where the two mothers were sitting with big grins on their faces.

"Mum!" he exclaimed loudly, causing Merlin to finally wake up. Arthur quickly drew the blankets up over their forms, covering their private parts. Once Merlin's brain processed the situation, he immediately sat up and let out an adorable squeak. Arthur sat up with him and clutched his small frame to his chest.

"Mum, what are you doing in here?" Arthur asked in horror. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Hunith and Ygraine looked at each other before bursting out in laughter, causing the two boys to cast each other confused looks.

"Sweetheart," Ygraine said after the laughter subsided. "We got a call from your school this morning on our way back home. They told us neither of you showed up for class, so we were worried."

"Though if we would have known you guys were a bit busy, then we would have just left you alone," Hunith added, making the women burst into another fit of giggles.

A small blush formed on Arthur's cheeks as he felt Merlin fidget uncomfortably beside him. That's when it clicked.

Arthur snapped his head to his window. Sure enough, there was daylight pouring in from outside.

"You mean we slept in?" Arthur asked. "Shit! I had a chemistry test today."

"Language, Arthur," Ygraine reprimanded as she pulled out some of Arthur's clothes from his dresser. "Relax, it's only ten. You'll have plenty of time to make it up at lunch."

Hunith nodded her head, making her way to the doorway. "We'll let this slide this time boys. After all, I remember what it's like to be young and in love. Spending lots of time in bed, making out in the bathroom at school, having a-"

"Mum, _please_ stop talking. I promise it will never happen again if you never bring up that conversation anymore," Merlin interupted.

"Fair enough," Hunith said before exiting the room. Ygraine sent the two a warm smile before setting the clothes she had taken out at the end of Arthur's bed.

"Hurry up and get dressed, you two. You're lucky it was us who found you and not your fathers," Ygraine teased, though she knew full well that the two men probably would have acted the same way, just with a bit more embarrassment.

Before she was about to close the door to let them change in private, she looked back at Merlin being craddled in her sons arms.

"Tell me, Merlin. Was he any good?"

Merlin eyes were wide as he blushed a scarlet red. Arthur sputtered as he sent a glare at his mom.

Merlin quickly nodded his head yes. "The best."

With a satisfied smile, she shut the door, leaving the two men alone.

Merlin and Arthur just sat for a good minute, looking in horror at the door.

"I can't believe she actually asked you that," Arthur said, mortified.

Merlin laughed, making the air feel a lot less tense. He placed a small peck on Arthur's lips before he jumped out of bed in his naked glory. The sight made Arthur instantly start to get hard.

Merlin started to pull on his own jeans and Arthur's favorite dark blue hoodie that he knew Arthur loved to see him wear. When he caught sight of Arthur's lust filled stare, he rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Arthur. Wasn't fucking me five times last night enough? I hope you know I am very tired and sore."

Arthur grinned as he started to pull his own clothes on before going up to Merlin and fixing his ruffled locks of hair.

"Baby boy, I'll _never_ get enough of you. But I am sorry that you're sore. I'll kiss it better for you later," Arthur said in a seductive voice, waggling his eyebrows. Merlin rolled his eyes before lacing his fingers with Arthur's, pulling him towards the door.

Once downstairs, the two boys slung their bags over their shoulders before they shouted goodbye to their mothers.

"Bye dad!" they both said in unison, seeing the two men chatting in Arthur's kitchen.

Uther and Balinor both watched the couple stride hand in hand out the front door, noticing how Merlin was limping a great deal. The two men blinked, watching as the front door closed.

Slowly, a large grin settled itself on Uther's lips as he realized exactly _why_ Merlin had been limping.

"That's my boy!" he exclaimed, causing Balinor to howl with laughter.

**XOXOXOXO**

**One month later**

"I wanna fuck you so hard," Arthur growled into Merlin's ear as his hand crept down the front of Merlin's pants.

"Arthur!" Merlin hissed, clutching Arthur's wondering hand, but not pushing it away. "Not now!"

"Ahem!" a loud voice interupted. Arthur froze his actions, not bothering to remove his hand from Merlin's bottoms. He looked over to see Morgana looking at the pair with a raised eyebrow.

"As much as I would _love_ to watch you guys have some hot gay sex, I have a message that needs to be passed along," Morgana stated, thinking maybe she shouldn't have interupted them so she could have gotten a live porn show instead.

Arthur huffed impatiently. "What is it?"

Morgana rolled her eyes. "We won't be coming tonight for our usual movie night. Leon and Freya's mum took a bad fall down the stairs, so they're at the hospital with her, as is Gwen. I need to go help my sister with one of her art projects, and Percival and Gwaine are more than likely doing the same thing you guys will be doing; Fucking each others brains out."

Arthur snickered. Out of all the people that he would guess a man like Percival would date, he had no clue he had a thing for funny brunette males. In fact, Arthur hadn't known Percival liked men at all until he asked Gwaine out. At first Arthur didn't think the two were serious, but then he noticed the sparkle in their eyes whenever they looked at each other. He thought it was probably the same look he held in his eyes whenever he looked at his own beautiful boyfriend.

"Tell Leon and Freya that I'm sorry about their mum and I hope she recovers well," Merlin said for the both of them.

Morgana nodded her head. "I will. But expect us all to be here next Friday, Arthur!"

"Mmhm," Arthur hummed, not waiting for her to even leave the house before he flipped Merlin onto his back, sucking on a hickey that had already been there for a few days.

Morgana smirked and secretly took a picture of them with her phone before shutting the front door behind her.

"Arthur," Merlin moaned, clutching the said blondes hair between his fingers.

Arthur placed sloppy kisses up Merlin's jaw, running his hands underneath the pale boys shirt.

"My parents won't be home until later," Arthur said between kisses. "You want me to fuck you right here on my couch?"

Merlin moaned at the filthy sounding words, but nodded eagerly as he quickly undid Arthur's pants. In record time, they were both naked and hard as a rock, rubbing their cocks against each other in a wet slide.

Arthur stuck his fingers inside of Merlin's mouth, the smaller teen sucking on the digits eagerly, coating them thickly with saliva.

Arthur pressed one inside of Merlin's entrance, going immediatly for his prostate. Arthur grinned devilishly before leaning down next to Merlin's ear.

"Does that feel good, _baby boy_?" Arthur teased, enunciating the nick-name on purpose. Over the course of the month they had been dating, Arthur figured out that his innocent little Merlin had a kink, and that kink was Arthur calling him "baby boy" while the blonde gave him pleasure.

Merlin let out a strangled groan at the beloved name, feeling a naughty wriggle in his lower belly upon hearing the innocent name he had been given all those years ago as Arthur was doing something entirely _not_ innocent to him while saying it. Embarrassingly enough, Arthur had made him come before just by whispering those words in his ear while he put a bit of pressure on his lower stomach. Merlin couldn't help it though, know matter how hard he tried to control it. The words were just like an instant orgasm the way Arthur made them roll off his very talented tongue.

"D-don't, Arthur" Merlin pleaded, not wanting to come so soon. Arthur chuckled, doing as he was told.

As Arthur slid inside Merlin, he felt very greatful. Greatful that he had subconsciously given Merlin that nick-name all those years ago, for now it held an even deeper meaning in their relationship. You see, Merlin wasn't just some random baby boy. He was _Arthur's_ baby boy.

And according to Arthur, he always would be.


End file.
